Aroldis Chapman says Cubs manager Joe Maddon 'abused him a bit'

Aroldis Chapman wasn't expected to be much more than a rental when the Cubs acquired the top-flight closer from the Yankees for top prospect Gleyber Torres and three others in July.

Chapman, a Yankee again after finalizing a five-year, $86 million contract Thursday, insinuated Friday he felt like Cubs manager Joe Maddon used him like one.

During a conference call to talk about his new deal, the left-hander questioned Maddon's decisions to use him so much toward the end of the run to the franchise's first World Series championship since 1908.

"I think he was wrong in the way he used me," Chapman said. "He abused me a bit on how much he made me pitch, and sometimes he made me pitch when I didn't need to pitch."

Chapman threw 273 pitches in his 13 playoff appearances, including 42 during 22/3 innings of relief in Game 5, a 3-2 Cubs victory and Chapman's first career eight-out save.

After one day of rest, he threw 20 more in Game 6. He was summoned from the bullpen with two runners on and two outs in the seventh and pitched into the ninth despite his team's seven-run lead.

"I don't think I needed to come in the game," Chapman said. "The important game was going to be Game 7 because basically we had (Game 6) almost won. Then I had to pitch Game 7 and I was a little tired."

When Joe Maddon drove to his Tampa home after the World Series, the Cubs' manager let everyone else second-guess his decisions that nearly backfired in Game 7.

"It's fascinating to me regarding the second-guessing because the only reality I know is that we won," Maddon said. "That's the one reality...

Chapman, 28, said he felt "a little different" in Game 7 and that fatigue affected him. He also added that Maddon "knows his stuff."

"It was his decision, and my duty is to be prepared," Chapman said. "I prepare myself to be strong, so that my arm is healthy. Thank God I was able to do the job."

Chapman added 35 more pitches in Game 7, for which he earned the victory despite allowing the Indians to tie that score 6-6 in the eighth inning courtesy of Brandon Guyer's RBI double and Rajai Davis' two-run home run. After pitching a scoreless ninth, Chapman reportedly was crying in the clubhouse during the rain delay.

Efforts to reach Cubs President Theo Epstein and Maddon for comment were unsuccessful Friday.

Chapman energized fans at Yankee Stadium this year with a fastball of up to 105.1 mph, but New York pivoted to youth as the trade deadline neared and...

But Maddon repeatedly has defended his use of Chapman and has said he welcomed scrutiny of his decisions.

"Chappy had just pitched yesterday, and I felt really confident because he felt great going into (Game 7)," Maddon said. "So the Cubs beat up on (Indians reliever Andrew) Miller and got to their other guys because the Cubs are good. The Indians beat up on Chapman because the Indians are good. So that's the part of this game.

"I love it. I think bar-room conversations are great. … But sometimes people forget that both sides are good."

Chapman, whose fastball averaged 100.9 mph, according to Statcast, reached a major-league record-tying 105.1 mph against J.J. Hardy on July 18 and threw the 30 fastest pitches in baseball last season.

He was 4-1 with 36 saves, a 1.55 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 58 innings pitched for the Yankees and Cubs in 2016.

The four-time All-Star made headlines upon his arrival in Chicago when his introduction to the media quickly went south and seemed riddled with confusion and indifference. Major League Baseball suspended Chapman for the first 30 games of the season because of an episode in which he allegedly choked his girlfriend and fired a gun eight times inside his garage.

No charges were filed and Chapman said he had grown a lot and learned a lot since the incident.

Tax tacked on: The Cubs are among a record six teams paying Major League Baseball's luxury tax, though their bill is the lowest at $2.96 million.

First-time offenders who exceed baseball's salary cap, such as the Cubs, pay 17.5 percent of every dollar spent above $189 million. The Dodgers ($31.8 million) and Yankees ($27.4 million) incurred the two highest taxes according to information the Associated Press obtained.